Traveling thresher



Patented February 2, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIAS GUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC HAMMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 751,072, datedFebruary 2, 1904.

Application fileu August 5, 1901 To aZZ w/wnt it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIAS GUNNELL, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Pneumatic 'Hammers, of which the following,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention has reference to the provision of a pneumatic hammer inwhich a constant pressure is employed in driving the hammer in adirection to strike its blow, while pressure is intermittently admittedand exhausted from the cylinder in advance of the hammer to procure thereciprocation thereof.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of an arrangementof valve mechanism, and port openings controlled thereby, whereby thepassage of fluid into and out of the forward end of the cylinder willtake place with the greatest possible facility, and procure a maximumefficiency of operation of the hammer on the impact stroke thereof aswell as upon the return stroke. The above as well as such other objectsas may hereinafter .appear, I attain by means of a construction which Ihave illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawing.

The reference figure 1 represents a hammer cylinder or barrel; 2, areciprocating piston operating therein; 3, a valve located in thechamber, and 4, a throttle valve mounted in a ehamber 5, formed withinthe hub of a banc le 6.

An inlet 7 is provided for the admission of the fluid pressure, whichpassing through the chamber 5 and past the valve 4:, enters the pistoncylinder through the radial ports 8 at the back of the piston 2, whenthe valve 4 is pushed open against the pressure of a spring 9, in themanner which will be clear from an examination of the drawings.

At the extreme left hand end of the piston cylinder or barrel 1, ismounted a rivet set, or other operating tool 10, which is provided witha retaining ring 11, carried in a screw threaded bushing 12, the saidring 11 being constructed to latch or catch upon the rivet Serial No.70,973. (No model.)

set and prevent the same from being inadvertently driven out of thecylinder.

The piston 2 has one end, or head 13, larger than the other, the smallerhead 14 having a bushing 15 within which it operates, and having betweenits extreme ends at 1 L an inter mediate head, which, together with thehead 14:, is a snug fit in the bushing 15, while the other portions areof smaller diameter.

The valve 3 is of hollow or shell-like construction, and has also oneportion 16 which is of larger diameter than the part 17, the chamber 16between the parts 16 and 17 being supplied with live fluid pressurethrough a passage 18, shown in dotted lines. valve 3 is open at both itsends, thus forming a tubular shell, and controls a number of portopenings, one of which, 19, leads to theexternal atmosphere from boththe passage 20 and the passage 21, and another of which, 22, leads fromthe interior of the cylinder to the interior of the valve, when thevalve is in its extreme left hand position, being closed when the valveis in the position shown in the drawings.

At the right side of the enlargement 16 of the valve there is a chamber23, which has communication through a passage 24:, with two portopenings 25 and 26, that open into the interior of the piston cylinder.Supplemental exhaust ports to the atmosphere are provided at 27 and 28,the purpose of these being to facilitate the operation of the device aswill appear from the description which I will now give.

Air being admitted past the throttle valve 4, enters through the radialports 8, and drives the piston 2 to the left, which is its impactstroke, during which it cuts ofi the exhaust port 27 to the atmosphere,and then the opening leading to the passage 20, and, continuing itstravel, until the head 1 1 uncovers the port 25, when live pressureenters the passage 24, and acting in the chamber 23 upon an area of thevalve larger than the area exposed in the chamber 16, shifts it to theleft, cutting off the exhaust port 19, from both the passages 20 and 21,and opening the passage 22 where The PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904.

T. 0. HELGERSON. TRAVELING THRESHBR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1902.

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PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904.

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No. 751,073. PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904. T. O. HELGERSON.

TRAVELING THRESHBR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1902.

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PATENTED FEB. 2; 1904.

. T. 0. HELGERSON. TRAVELING THRBSHER.

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No. 751,073. PATENTEDPEB. 2, 1904.

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TRAVELING THRESHER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1902.

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T. HBLGERSON. TRAVELING THRESHER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1902. I

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PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS O. HELGERSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF Tl/VO-THIRDSTO JULIUS ROSHOLT AND C. A. PAULSON, OF MINNE- APOLIS, MINNESOTA.

TRAVELING THRESHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,073, dated February2, 1904.

Application filed November 12, 1902. Serial No. 130,987. KNo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS O. HELGERSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTraveling Threshers; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved travelingthresher adapted to thresh standing grain or seeds while traveling thefield and without cutting down the straw or stalks.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in theclaims.

A machine designed in accordance with my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete machine with some parts brokenaway and with others removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of themachine, taken on the line 91 11 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in leftside elevation, showing principally those portions of the machine whichare cut away in Fig. 2. Fig. a is an enlarged view,in verticalsection,on the line w m of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away. Fig. 5is a plan view of a portion of the so-called beating-brush. Fig. 6 is atransverse vertical section on the line 0 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a planview of the parts shown in Fig. 6, some parts being broken away. Fig. 8is a vertical section on the line :0 :0 of Fig. 1, some parts beingbroken away. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the partsshown in Fig. 8, portionsthereof being broken away. Fig. 10 is adetail of a raising and loweringdevice, taken in section on the line 50 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 11 is atransverse vertical section on the line 00 50 of Fig. 10.

It may be here premised that the machine hereinafter described in detailis arranged to be pushed ahead by horses or other draft-animals or othermotive power, for that matter, attached in the rear thereof. The machinedoes not cut the straw, but threshes the grain or seed from the standingstraw or stalks as it is driven forward.

The rectangular main frame 1 of the machine is supported by a pair oflarge and broad-faced wheels 2 and 3, which are loosely mounted on aheavy axle 4, rigidly secured to said frame 1 and projecting at theright-hand side thereof. The Wheel 2 is embraced by the frame 1 and is,in fact, the traction-wheel or driver of the threshing mechanism. A

. long pole 5 is rigidly connected to the shaft 4 quite close to thedrive-wheel 2 by means of a divided clamp or socket 6 and nutted bolts 7and 8, passed through the said parts, as best shown in Fig. 10. Theupper section of the socket 6 is provided with a vertical standard 9,and rigidly secured to the outer end of the non-rotary-axle 4 is asimilar arm 10.

In Fig. 1, 1 indicates abrace which extends from the base of thestandard 10 to one corner of the main frame 1. A shaft 11 is journaledin the upper end of the standards 9 and 10,.and between prongs of thesaid standards said shaft 11 is provided with small spur-gears 12. Thegears 12 mesh with racks 13, which are loosely held for vertical andlimited oscillatory movements by keepers 14, projecting forward from theupper ends of the standards 9 and 10. (See particularly Fig. 10.) Theracks 13 have long depending bars 13, to which, as will be hereinafternoted, a vertically -adjustable supplemental frame is attached.

At the rear end of the pole 5 is a caster- Wheel 15, the pintle-rod ofwhich is provided with a hand-lever 16, by means of which the saidcaster-wheel may be oscillated in a horizontal plane, and thereby madetoserve as a rudder to steer the machine.

The racks 13 are raised and lowered as follows: The shaft 11 is providedclose to the bracket 9 with a worm-wheel 17. (See Figs. 10 and 11.) Thenumeral 18 indicates a long rod provided at its rear end with ahand-wheel 19 and at its forward end with a worm or screw 20, whichlatter meshes with said gear 17. Said shaft 18 is journaled in thestandard 21 on the pole 5 and in a pronged extension 22 of the bracket9, which extension 22 also holds the worm and shaft 18 against endwisemovements.

The supplemental frame, heretofore incidentally referred to, is made uppreferably of a straight angle-bar 23, a bent angle-bar 24, and a pairof parallel transversely-extended beams 25. The bars 23 and 24 areriveted or otherwise rigidly secured at 23, and the beams 25 are rigidlysecured to the parallel forwardlyprojecting ends of the said bars 23 and24. The depending ends of the rack-bars 13 are pivotally connected tobrackets 26, one on the bar 23 and the other on the bar 24. (See Figs.10 and 11.) A long vertical screw-rod 27 is passed through and swiveledin the rear por tion of the pole 5 and is screwed through a nut-block 28on the rear end of the supplemental frame-bar 23. At its upper end thescrew-rod 27 is provided with a hand-piece 29, by means of which it maybe readily turned. As is evident, by turning the rod 18 and thescrew-rod 27 the supplemental frame may be raised vertically and loweredto any desired altitude within, of course, certain limits.

Extending transversely of the machine, in front of the forward beam 25,is a bar 30, supported by brackets 31 from the said beam 25. A smoothand toothless concave 32 is supported by the bar 30, brackets 31, andadjacent beam 25, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

Journaled in the beams 25, near the ends thereof, is a pair of rollers33, over which runs an endless slat-and-belt conveyer 34. The concave 32at its rear edge terminates over the forward edge of the conveyer-belt34, so as to deliver onto the same, and the said belt 34 closely fillsthe space between the beams 25. A housing or case 35 incloses or coversthe concave 33 and the conveyer 34. The said housing forward of andabove the forward edge of the concave 32 is open for the introduction orentry of the heads of the standing grain. Working within the housing 35and cooperating with the concave 32 is a so-called beating-brush,preferably formed by hubsections 36 and radial teeth 37, whichhubsections are mounted on and carried by a shaft 36, suitably journaledin the sides of the housing 35. The teeth 37 of this so-calledbeating-brush are formed by straight sections of quite stiffspring-steel rods, and their outer ends are simply cut straightacrossand left without heads, forks, or other enlargement. The said springteeth or rods 37 are preferably round in cross-section. Thisbeating-brush is run at a very high rate of speed, and the ends of itsteeth run very close to the concave 32. I

Extending transversely of the machine, close to and just in front of thereceiving edge of the concave 32 and forming practically an eX tensionand rounded forward edge thereof, is a roller 38, which is looselymounted in the sides of the case 35.

The reel which delivers the heads of the standing grain to the concaveand beatingbrush is of novel construction and is preferably constructedas follows: 39 indicates the reelsupporting frame, which frame invertical section longitudinally of the machine is triangular and islocated with its lower side extending approximately in a horizontalplane and with one angle close to the front opening of the case 25. Thisframe 39 is supported at its rear end or angle by a pair of bars 40,secured on top of the transverse beams 25 just outward of the housing35. The forward portion of said frame 39 is shown as supported bytrussrods 41, attached thereto and the rear ends of the bars 40, andpassed over intermediate posts 42 on the said bars 40, as best shown inFigs. 1 and 2. In each of the three corners or angles of the frame 39 isjournaled a transverse shaft 43, provided with a pair of sprockets 44,located one just inward of each side of the frame. Sprocket-chains 45run over the three sprockets at each side of the frame, and theseparallel sprocket-chains are connected by transversely-extended reelbars or rods 46.

The shaft 43 at the rear angle of the frame 39 projects at its left-handend, as shown in Fig. 1, and is provided with a pulley 47 Also byreference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the shaft 36 of thebeating-brush projects at its left-hand end and is provided with pulleys48, 49, 50, and 51. It will be further noted by reference to Figs. 1 and7 that the shaft of the left-hand roller 33 is provided at its forwardend with a beveled gear 52, which meshes with a beveled pinion 53,carried by a short counter-shaft 54, provided with a pulley and suitablyjournaled in a bracket 56, secured on the forward beam 25. The purposesof these pulleys and gears will be more fully set forth in tracing thedriving-belts which transmit motion to the various parts under theadvance movement of the machine. The endless conveying-belt 34 moves thegrain or seeds from the right toward the left and delivers the same intothe open side of a fan-case 57, suitably supported at the ends of thebeams 25 and having mounted therein an ordinary fan 58, the shaft ofwhich projects toward the left and is provided with a pulley 59.

The fan-case 57 has a nearly vertical discharge spout or tube 60, theupper end of which is turned downward and preferably provided with aflexible discharging-section 61, which opens directly into the openupper end of a hopper 62, supported on top of a rectangular case 63,which case in turn is rigidly supported by projecting bars 64, securedto the left-hand side of the primary or main frame'l.

Extending transversely of and mounted within the hopper 62 is a largefeed-roller 65,

provided on its periphery with longitudinallyeXtended V-shapedcorrugations. The shaft 66 of said roller projects at its right-hand endand is provided with a pulley 67. The bottom of the hopper 62 isafiorded by a pivoted concave68, the upper surface of which isprovidedwith corrugations of approximately the same form, but much smaller orfiner than the corrugations of the roller 65. The free rearwardlyprojecting end of the concave 68 is yieldingly pressed upward by springs69, supported by the case 63.

The grain or seeds delivered from the rear end of the concave 68 aredirected by a deflecting-board 70 onto a coarse screen 71. The cleangrain or seed will pass through the screen 71 and will be directed by aninclosed deck 7 2 into a suitable receptacle preferably formed at thebottom of the case 63. The hulls or other coarse material which cannotpass through the screen 71 will be discharged off from the rear endthereof.

Journaled in suitable bearings on the rear portion of the main frame 1is a short transverse counter-shaft 73, which carries a large pulley 74, located in line with the heretoforenoted pulleys 67 and 49. Vorkingwithin the case 63 between the screens 71 and the deck 7 2 is a fan 7 5,the shaft 7 6 of which projects at the right and is provided with apulley 7 7 (shown only by dotted lines in Fig. 3,) which is located inline with the said pulleys 4:9, 67, and 74E. A driving-belt 78,(indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3,) runs over the said pulleys 19, 6774, and 77. A short crossed belt 79 runs over the pulleys 55 and 50 andanother short belt 80 runs over the pulleys 51 and 59. Still anothershort belt 81 runs over the pulleys 47 and 48.

A large sprocket-wheel 82 is rigidly secured to the hub of the largetraction wheel or driver 2. On the counter-shaft 73 is a loosesprocket-pinion 83, over which and the said sprocket 82 runs asprocket-chain 84. The sprocket 83 is adapted to be connected to anddisconnected from the counter-shaft 7 3 in the usual way by an ordinarysliding half-' clutch 85, which is subject to a shipper-lever 86. (Shownas pivoted to the rear bar of the frame 1.)

Operation: The manner in which the supplemental frame and the partscarried thereby are raised and lowered has already been described. Fromthe description already given it will also be understood that when themachine is driven forward motion will be transmitted from thetraction-wheel 2 to all of the running parts of the machine. Under theaction of the triangular reel the tops or headed ends of the standingstock or straw are directed against the roller 38 and theheads aredelivered directly in the path of movement of the spring fingers or rods37 of said beating-brush. This brush, it will be remembered, runs at avery high rate of speed in the direction of the arrow marked thereon inFig. 4. By the said spring-fingers the heads of the grain or other seedpods are struck in rapid succession and are bent rearward over theroller 38 and toward or onto the receiving end of the concave 32. Underthis rapid and severe pounding action of the spring-fingers nearly allof the grain or seed will be threshed or separated from the hull. Thereel-bars 46, it will be noted, after passing to their extreme rearposition, at which point they deliver the heads ofthe grain to thebeater, move rapidly forward, but are elevated far enough to clear theheads of all of the standing grain. With this triangular form of reelthe reel-blades may be moved almost into contact with the fingers of thebeater-brush. The commingled grain or seed and the loosened hulls whichare thrown rearward from the concave 32 are delivered onto the endlessfeed-belt 34, and thereby delivered into the fan-case 57, from whencethey are blown by the fan 58 through the tube and into the hopper 62.They are then fed by the corrugated feed-roller over the corrugatedsurface of the spring-pressed concave 68, under which action they arerubbed or scoured. This rubbing or scouring action serves to remove thehusks and such of the seeds or grain as have not been properly threshedby the beating-brush, and it further serves to remove from such seeds orgrain white caps or other portions of the husk, which in many instancesadhere thereto even after having passed the beating-brush.

As already stated, the cleaned grain or seed which falls upon the sieve71 after passing from the concave 68 passes through said sieve and isdelivered to a suitable receptacle by the deck 72, while the husks areunder the action of the fan 75 blown off from the said sieve ordelivered from the lower end thereof.

Apeculiar scouring or rubbing action which I have found to be just Whatis required to remove white caps and other portions of the husk or eventhe complete husk from grain and seeds is obtained by the roller havingthe relatively large corrugations and the concave having the relativelysmall or fine corrugations. Furthermore, by far the best results areobtained by making the said corrugations in both instances V-shapedinstead of curved. The concave should of course be spring-pressed oradapted to yield to adapt itself to different thicknesses of grain orseed which at different times will be forced between the said roller andconcave.

A machine of the above character I have in actual field tests foundextremely efiicient for threshing flax as well as for threshing wheatand oats from the standing stalks.

In threshing flax it is of course desirable not to break or mutilate thestraw, for the reason that such straw has considerable commercial valueif properly treated and not improperly broken. In some cases also it isdesirable to preserve the straw of wheat and oats for commercialpurposes. In other cases that is, in many districts-Wheat and oats strawis of such small commercial value that it is harvested by the use ofheaders and the straw is left standing and frequently burned on thefield.

My improved traveling thresher meets the requirements of all theabove-noted conditions. It takes the place of a header and performs theadditional work of a thresher. Furthermore, it is of comparatively smallcost, may be driven with ease, considering the work that it performs,and is extremely efficient for the purposes had in view.

It will of course be understood that the device described is capable ofconsiderable modification within the scope of my invention as herein setforth and claimed.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

1. In a traveling thresher, the combination with a toothless concave anda cooperating beating-brush, of a transversely-movable endless conveyerreceiving the threshed grain from said concave, and a housing inclosingsaid concave brush and conveyer, substantially as described.

2. In a travelingthresher, the combination with the primary threshingmechanism located for direct action on the heads of the standing grain,of an endless conveyer receiving therefrom, a pneumatic elevatorreceiving from said conveyer, and a huller receiving from said pneumaticelevator, substantially as described.

3. In a traveling thresher, the combination with a concave andcooperating beater, of a reel for directing the heads of the standinggrain, directly to said concave and heater, said reel comprising guidesat three points only, an endless carrier moving in a triangular courseover said guides and provided with cross-slats, the said guides being soarranged that the said slats travel a triangular course and move, firstapproximately vertically downward, then horizontally rearward and thenabruptly forward and upward, substantially as described.

I. In a traveling thresher, the combination with primary threshingmechanism, involving a concave and rapidly-rotating beater, an endlesstransversely-movable conveyer receiving from said concave and beater,and a housing incasing said beater and extending over said endlessconveyer to prevent the scattering of the grain and directing the sameonto the said endless conveyer, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS O. HELGERSON. Vitnesses:

ELIZABETH H. KELEHER, F. D. MERCHANT.

